Public · University
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina · Midsize city
- 64.2%
- Admit rate
- $20,109
- Avg net price
- 71%
- Graduation rate
- $54,967
- Median earnings
University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Wilmington, North Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 14,922 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of North Carolina Wilmington's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 64.2%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1230–1340
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.63
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of North Carolina Wilmington's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of North Carolina Wilmington's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington. The complex has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1858 and houses three performance venues, the Main Stage, the Grand Ballroom, and the Studio Theater. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 4 miles to Wilmington, NC
- To the ocean
- 3 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Wilmington (ILM)
How University of North Carolina Wilmington compares
More selective than 71% · #17 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 77%
Higher than 79% · #10 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 83%
Higher than 53% · #12 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 50% · #32 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 78%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare University of North Carolina Wilmington with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate14,92281%
- Graduate3,59419%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women9,41463%
- Men5,50837%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White79%
- Black4.1%
- Hispanic9.1%
- Asian2.0%
- Other or multiracial6.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 14,922
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,594
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 26%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $52,650
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $90,666
- Endowment
- $162,149,363
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 2,701 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina77%
- Other U.S. states23%
Most first-years stay in state — University of North Carolina Wilmington draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 64.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1230–1340
- SAT average
- 1287
- SAT reading
- 620–680
- SAT math
- 610–660
- ACT composite
- 24–29
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.63
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $7,277
- Out-of-state tuition
- $24,152
- Room & board
- $14,268
- Books & supplies
- $860
- Total cost of attendance
- $26,547
- Average net price
- $20,109
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 71%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 56%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 22%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,972
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,967
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 36%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 58%
About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 5,173
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 35%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,008
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,597
- Application fee
- $80
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 412 (175 men · 237 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 55
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 31
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (18,848 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$17,378/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,476. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,358 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,967
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 35%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,209 (16%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 36°F
- Annual rain
- 60.1″
- Annual snow
- 0.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wilmington Intl AP, NC US station (3.2 mi from campus).
What University of North Carolina Wilmington graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to University of North Carolina Wilmington
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of North Carolina Wilmington side by side →
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina · Midsize city · 1 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 10,558
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1247
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $56k
State University of New York at New Paltz
New Paltz, New York · Fringe town · 65 mi to Albany
- Students
- 6,086
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1265
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 1 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 29,820
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1297
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $62k
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Baton Rouge
- Students
- 30,594
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1285
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $61k
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama · Midsize city · 3 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 6,591
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $62k
Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, Ohio · Fringe town · 30 mi to Cincinnati
- Students
- 16,656
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1317
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $55k
Colleges near University of North Carolina Wilmington
College of Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 132 students
Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington, NC · Public · Associate · 9,764 students
Brunswick Community College
Bolivia, NC · Public · Associate · 1,211 students
Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville
Jacksonville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 195 students
Coastal Carolina Community College
Jacksonville, NC · Public · Associate · 2,724 students
James Sprunt Community College
Kenansville, NC · Public · Certificate · 799 students
Southeastern Community College
Whiteville, NC · Public · Associate · 820 students
Bladen Community College
Dublin, NC · Public · Associate · 1,030 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













